Southern Pacific Coaches Nos.2097, 2143 & 2156

GGRM Collection

The Southern Pacific 72-foot interurban steel coach was first built in 1923
by the Pullman Company. The Southern Pacific Railroad ordered them
specifically for San Francisco Bay Area commuter service to replace their
aging fleet of wooden passenger cars. The first order was for 60 coaches,
seating 96 passengers each. They were an instant hit with commuters, so
another 10 were ordered in 1924. Five more were ordered from the
Standard Steel Car Company in 1927. These coaches were used in commuter
service until 1985.

Although many people now refer to the coaches as Harrimans,
most people used to call them Suburbans or Subs. The term
Harriman refers to railroad equipment built in the 1900's
and 1910's to a set of common standards that were used when E. H.
Harriman controlled both the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads.
A quick way to identify a Harriman car is to look at the letterboard.
On a true Harriman coach, the letterboard continues over the doors.
Although Subs are quite similar to Harriman coaches, technically
they are not true Harrimans because the letterboard stops at the doors.

The Subs are 72-feet long over the end sills, 9-ft.9-7/8-in. wide,
and 14-feet from rail to top of roof. They are 80-ft.8-7/8-in. long
from coupler to coupler. Each coach weighs 119,900 lbs. without passengers.
The coaches are constructed on a steel frame with steel channel and plate
used throughout. The coach floor is poured concrete, which provides a
smoother and quieter ride. Interior lighting is powered by an electric
generator or by batteries. A generator is connected by belts to one axle,
and it charges the batteries while the coach is moving. Each coach has
overhead fans for ventilation, and is heated by steam vapor supplied by
the locomotive.

Even though the Interurban Coaches were all built to the same specifications,
there are minor differences between the orders. The first two orders were built
by Pullman and were designated as classes 72-IC-1 and 72-IC-2. Class
72-IC-2 had slightly different window sills, but otherwise were an exact
duplicate of the 72-IC-1 class. The third order was built by the Standard
Steel Car Company (before Standard Steel was part of Pullman) and it is
class 72-IC-3. Nicknamed "Cream-Puffs", the cars in this class
had a smoother ride. They used cast steel trucks with integral journal
pedestals cast as part of the truck frame, instead of the older style
with bolted pedestals.